Starke County Sheriff’s Department Investigates Accident Near Hamlet

Posted on Author WKVI

The Starke County Sheriff’s Department is investigating an accident that occurred Friday at 600 East and 700 North.

The accident involved a pickup truck and a moped. The driver of the moped, whose name has not been released by police, was taken to IU Health Starke Hospital and later airlifted by Med Flight to Memorial Hospital Trauma Center where he was listed in critical condition. The driver of the pickup truck was not injured in the accident.

The names of either individual have not been released. The Starke County Sheriff’s Department was assisted by the Hamlet Fire Department, Starke County EMS and the Koontz Lake Fire Department.

North Judson Man Arrested on Charges of Auto Theft, Criminal Mischief

Posted on Author WKVI
Danny Manns

Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department apprehended a North Judson man after he was allegedly involved in a bar fight and ended up destroying a motel room Wednesday night in North Judson.

Police were called to the Route 10 Bar and Grill after an alleged fight had occurred between two individuals. The suspect, Danny Manns, left the premises. Police later found the suspect vehicle in the park and it was unoccupied. Police learned that the vehicle Manns was driving belonged to Joe Brown of Knox who said Manns should not have been in possession of the vehicle. Police searched the area and was unable to find Manns.

Continue reading →

Starke County Police Remove 12 Dogs from Knox Residence

Posted on Author WKVI

The Starke County Sheriff’s Department is investigating an incident involving alleged neglected dogs.

According to officials at the Sheriff’s Department, a resident called police on Friday to report that her neighbor is neglecting her dogs. There were dogs inside the residence and no one had been around for days. A couple of days later, police received a call from a resident stating that her dog had been stolen and she believed her neighbor took the dog and sold it in Chicago. On Sunday, police went to the residence at 2230 East and 150 South in Knox, owned by Joanne Coronado. Officers obtained a search warrant and found 12 dogs inside the residence. They were removed from the premises and were released to the custody of the Starke County Humane Society. The health department was also called to the scene and after an investigation, condemned the residence.

Continue reading →

Shop with a Cop Event Held Yesterday in Knox

Posted on Author WKVI
Left to right: Starke County Conservation Officer Keith Wildeman, Jeremiah Patrick, Monica Collins, Harold Smith, James Upsall, Rob Olejniczack, Rich Gast, Caitlyn Hinshaw, Melissa Osburn, Sandy Binkley, Hugo Reese, Chris Kisela, and Bob Leffert.

Officers from the Kankakee Valley Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #129 participated in a Shop with a Cop event yesterday at ALCO in Knox. Chris Kisela, Knox City Police Officer and FOP President, talked about yesterday’s event:

“We’ve been doing fundraisers over the summer. We’ve raised over $2000 so far. We’ll take that $2000 and spend it on school clothes. The kids will have $100 each to buy school clothes for the upcoming school year,” said Kisela.

Continue reading →

Rensselaer Man Charged with Theft in Starke County

Posted on Author WKVI
Jason Richie

A Rensselaer man was arrested Saturday after he was seen stealing a chainsaw from a garage in the North Judson area.

The suspect, who was later identified as Jason Richie, reportedly walked in a garage owned by Richard Anderson and walked out with a chainsaw, according to the Starke County Sheriff’s Department report. Anderson’s son-in-law, Samuel Denno, reportedly ran outside with a gun to stop Richie. Denno told police that the man allegedly threw the chainsaw in some weeds when he saw that Denno followed him into a wooded area. Denno later told police that he didn’t know the man but could identify the man if police apprehended him.

Continue reading →

James Campbell Charged with Possessing a Stolen Weapon

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County Police officers arrested James Campbell, 43, of Knox early Thursday morning after he failed to comply with police when officers ordered him to get out of his vehicle and away from loaded weapons.

Police were called to a church on Toto Road after a citizen reported a male subject acting suspiciously on the property. When police arrived, the reporting officer found James Campbell in his vehicle. The officer got out of his vehicle and approached Campbell’s vehicle and asked him to step out of the truck. Campbell ignored the officer. Campbell was asked several more times to exit the vehicle. The reporting officer noted in his report that he asked Campbell to show him his hands and Campbell reportedly started to fidget with something underneath his seat. The officer drew his weapon and told Campbell to show him his hands. He did show his hands and had nothing in them at the time.

Continue reading →

Four Arrested on Meth Related Charges in Knox

Posted on Author WKVI
Nathan Vermilyer
Joshua Givens
Elizabeth Boyd
Gabriel French

Four people were arrested Saturday after officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department served an arrest warrant on a Knox man.

Officers arrived at 0655 S. State Road 23 in Knox to serve an arrest warrant on Gabriel French. Officers found an active methamphetamine lab at the residence. While officers were waiting for the search warrant, several other subjects arrived at the residence and were detained. While executing the search warrant, officers found several methamphetamine labs, precursors, drug paraphernalia and several hand written notes on how to manufacture methamphetamine.

Continue reading →

Kristopher Rogers Arrested after Home Search

Posted on Author WKVI
Kristopher Rogers

A Knox man was arrested Friday after a home search found the suspect in possession of legend drugs.

Starke County Sheriff’s Department officers and a probation officer went to the home of Kristopher Rogers and reportedly found ammunition, paraphernalia and a pill bottle with several pills, according to police. Rogers told police that he had prescriptions for the pills and that it was from three or four years ago.

Continue reading →

Knox Man Arrested after Police Find Meth Lab in Car

Posted on Author WKVI
Fred Boggess II

Fred Boggess II, 30, of Knox was arrested Friday, July 8th after Starke County Police found a meth lab in his vehicle.

Boggess was pulled over on a routine traffic stop on Toto Road and 100 East in Starke County and officers found an active meth lab. The Indiana State Police Clandestine Lab Team was called to the scene to clean up the scene. Boggess II was arrested on preliminary charges of Illegal Drug Lab, Manufacturing Meth, False Informing, Possession of Meth, Possession of Precursors, Driving While Suspended-Prior and Habitual Offender. He is in the Starke County Jail on a $25,000 surety bond.

Continue reading →

DNA Evidence Links Suspect to Burglary Incident in Starke County

Posted on Author WKVI
Bruce Banks

A suspect has been produced from DNA evidence retrieved from a burglary incident in Starke County.

Caroline Gregory reported a burglary at her residence in June of 2010 where she told police that her computer and a muzzleloader were stolen. Blood samples were retrieved as evidence from the scene was well as several fingerprints. The evidence was sent to the Indiana State Police Crime Lab in Lowell, Indiana and on June 17th, 2011, the Starke County Sheriff’s Department received notice that DNA evidence was recovered from one of the items. A hit in the DNA databank found Bruce Banks to be the suspect in the case.

Continue reading →

Knox Police Continue to Investigate Attempted Abduction

Posted on Author WKVI
Amber Howard and her children, Korie and Evan

Three weeks ago today, Amber Howard was in her home in Knox when she heard her daughter, Korie, screaming that someone was in the back yard trying to abduct her one-year-old brother, Evan.

When the mother went into the yard, the daughter said the man, dressed in red jogging pants, came into the yard, grabbed her off a swing set, and then picked up the baby as if to take him. When she screamed, the man ran off down Roosevelt Road in the Parkview section of Knox. He dropped the baby before climbing over a fence.

Continue reading →

Starke County Sheriff’s Department Investigates Burglary

Posted on Author WKVI

The Starke County Sheriff’s Department responded to a burglary incident at Hines Salvage in Grovertown on Sunday, June 26th.

The owner told police that he found a knife laying on the ground by the office door, which he thought the suspect(s) used to get into the business. Once the unknown suspect(s) were inside the business, it appeared several drawers were gone through and weapons were taken. Also taken from the office were bolt cutters that were used to cut off six locks that were on trailer doors and garage doors. 6-7 car radiators were stolen, along with 4-5 catalytic converters and several feet of copper wire.

Continue reading →

Knox Man Arrested after Alleged Threats

Posted on Author WKVI
Jerry Riley

Jerry Riley of Knox was arrested Friday after a domestic incident was called into the Starke County Sheriff’s Department.

Witnesses told police that Riley had arrived at a residence on 800 South and rammed his car into his wife’s car and then backed up and hit a car belonging to Alexander Honchar, pushing it out of the driveway and into the lawn. Riley then exited the vehicle and confronted this step-son, Kebun Boule, about taking jewelry. Riley then allegedly hit Boule. Alexander Honchar told police that he walked around the corner of the porch and Riley surprised him and allegedly held a box cuttter style knife to his throat and Riley reportedly threatened him. Honchar then hit Riley and called 9-1-1.

Continue reading →

18-Year-Old Drowns After Jumping From Yellow River Bridge in Knox

Posted on Author WKVI

The treacherous Yellow River has claimed another life. Mercan Lyncook, of Parma Ohio jumped from the abandoned train bridge near the depot at 12:00 midnight Sunday morning, and because of limited swimming ability never made it back to shore. The 18-year-old man’s body was found by the Marshall County Dive Team at 2:00 a.m.

The Knox Police Department and Indiana Conservation Office received a call from Lyncook’s friend that he did not surface after diving into the water.

Assisting in the search were the Knox Volunteer Fire Department, Bass Lake Fire Department, Starke County Sheriff’s Department, Washington Township Fire Department, and Starke County EMS.

Accident Causes Gas Leak in San Pierre

Posted on Author WKVI

US 421 is now open in the San Pierre area where NIPSCO crews were working to correct a gas leak that occurred last night around 8:00 p.m.

According to police, a person was driving his vehicle traveling in the area of State Road 10 and US 421when he left the roadway and struck a telephone pole. The vehicle ran over a NIPSCO gas main causing a gas leak. The vehicle landed on its top. The driver was treated at the scene and eventually taken to IU Health Starke Hospital.

For safety reasons, residents were evacuated from the area. The accident remains under investigation.

Starke County Sheriff’s Department Receives Transfer for Pension Fund

Posted on Author WKVI
Sheriff Oscar Cowen
Sheriff Oscar Cowen

The pension fund for the Starke County Sheriff’s Department has received its necessary fund transfer, thanks to Sheriff Oscar Cowen and the County Council. At their joint meeting with the Commissioners, Cowen asked for $108,514.32 to be transferred to the Sheriff’s Pension Fund. This transfer has been requested annually for several years.

“We call it the riverboat money. It comes in, it goes into an account. The only way it can come out of that account is the sheriff has to ask for it. And if the sheriff doesn’t ask for it, it can’t be taken out,” said Commissioner Dan Bridegroom.

Continue reading →

Man Arrested after Threatening Starke County Woman with Knife

Posted on Author WKVI
Tony A. Glover

Tony A. Glover, of Nappanee, Indiana, was arrested by officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday, May 17th after he allegedly placed a knife against the throat of a Knox woman and threatened to harm her.

According to the police report, three witnesses told police that Glover had placed a knife against the victim’s throat and threatened her. Glover was in possession of knife at the time police questioned him about the incident. He told police that he never threatened the victim or the witnesses.

Continue reading →